Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/593

 MARITIME HISTORY forced Elizabeth to more energetic ,-st powers, and they were to have deputies at every creek and landm* n ]T T. Englishmen on board; the Orange privateers were an element of la haute poSue ^ Elizabeth did not cons!der it discreet entirely to crush them even if it had been in h Subsequently the obedient Netherlands followed the example of he Dutch and en'tT o f "' the beginning of the affliction of < Dunkirkers ' that plagued the coast f than ^centu J aTd Englishmen ako took letters of marque from the Huguenot leaders in France. In September ^77 fresh commissioners were appointed and still more stringent methods of repression adopted^ the a,ders and abettors ashore were now to be prosecuted and fined, and the finT^e to go towards reeoupmg the vict.ms; the takers of pirates were to have a proportion of the gool found 2 on boa d and comm.ss.ons;were to be granted to private persons to send out ships pirate-huntl^ Three Ltrt S HVfS^b g rhTr i0ne ^ Kl '!! igreW ' had bCen f Und ^ be' dealing S a Jra" >bert Hicks of Saltash but had been allowed to compromise with the owners. This man Hicks was nearly the cause of serious mternational trouble. One of the sufferers by his exploits was a Dane, who after having rece.ved 200 out of the fines, suddenly protested and prepared to Lve perhaps under the influence of secret threats. The Council, fearing that the king of Denmark 6 ' Ve " e a meet "g trang o were levd I P * f?* ^ W " ICe f ^ I ' re< l uired ' to be re P aid - the fiVes nH rlrn IP "o wonder that the queen, understanding that 'divers gentlemen of Devon mS ^ ure "t order rn n7rornl t T7 mS ^ ^ T^^' ^ ur S e "t orders that sureties should be i from them not to do anything of the kind. 7 Between the risks of the law and the risks of ^rSiv'R'? 1 " 1 ^ 1151 ^" 'T/ haZard US SpeCUlatl ' n if Ca " ied honestly; thus b thafit " onl GrenV1 " e T" ^ ^ C U " dl char S ed with P'n7, but there is li tie doubt that it was only a prize case of enemy's goods in a neutral ship. 8 For many of the counties there are extant long lists of persons fined for dealing with pirates/and Cornwa/he I I ta ^KTJ " ens- rarm n h, h,Vh nther II T' u ^ LoWer > John Tre & os *> J u stin Tolcarne, and Walter Ion r I', f i, Well - kn wn f or "' sh names ' also there. Doubtless the lists would be still f P H Partl 7 f fficersand J uries ' In J"ne, 1580, the Council inquired of the f Cornwall why certain pirates condemned two months before were yet not executed They ' " s to lc y d "> r ey same to proceed of some partial inclination towards the parties condemned ' papers beSns inTc?^ ^^ ^ T J u hn P ' 1 f PadSt W ' wh SC Career ' in the official -rs, begins in 1552. He was supposed to have had relations with Seymour in 1549 or earlier and his long and successful course was attributed to his mother being a witch Perhaps the ' rich merchand,se hidden in the cliffs by Padstow ' in 1571 was some oY his booty, 23 te was on ufficiently fnendly terms with the vice-admiral of the county to send him presents 9 Piers f s latest triumph just preceded his fall. In September, ,58,, the mayor and jurats of Rye wrote 3 to the ^ ^ {f? P. C. M ^64-5. ' C mmissionerS ' for C of Depredations,' appointed in ,564. Comwalf' 8 N V ' I56S ' j0h " Trelawn ^' Hen ' Chiv ^on, Ric. Channon, and Reginald Mohun for restored to the owners V n PV '^ ^ ^ / ^ Admiralt / Co held that all good, must be f. P - C - 1 1 J ul X' '577; H March, 1577-8. Hicks was hanged. Had., IM, 130,, 3a . . Ibii I2 Aprilj 1J?1 . s p 62